U.S. envoy Jared Kushner said Monday that he hopes the disarmament of Hamas will begin within “30 days” and would be carried out under the supervision of a U.S. general, following his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
“We could see progress in as little as 30 days with the start, we hope, the withdrawal of some of the weapons and, we also hope, the destruction of certain underground tunnels over the next 60 to 90 days,” he said from Tel Aviv on the American television network Fox News.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
“So there could be a president fairly quickly, but that requires cooperation from both sides, and we hope we will overcome this challenge,” added Donald Trump’s son-in-law.
According to an Israeli official, Israel and the U.S. agreed yesterday to appoint an American general to oversee the disarmament of Hamas.
This is intended to satisfy the Israeli government, as Mr. Netanyahu—who is campaigning for reelection and is considered unlikely to secure it—publicly rejected the U.S. “road map” consisting of 15 points for a definitive end to the war in the Gaza Strip.
“We had a very, very good meeting today. We spent nearly four hours with him, and his team went over all the details (…) and cleared up some misunderstandings,” said Jared Kushner, who had met with senior Hamas officials the day before.
The Palestinian Islamist movement announced in late July that it accepts the U.S. roadmap, the launch of the “second phase” of U.S. President Donald Trump’s plan, which calls for its disarmament in exchange for the gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops, who occupy more than 60% of the Gaza Strip.
On Sunday, Mr. Kushner met with members of the Hamas leadership and, according to sources familiar with the matter, demanded the movement’s disarmament and “verifiable” measures.
“They told us all the right things, but, obviously, it’s very, very difficult to trust them,” the U.S. envoy told Fox News when asked about his meeting with the Hamas leadership.
Messrs. Netanyahu and Kushner “agreed that there will be no withdrawal and no reconstruction in the Gaza Strip as long as Hamas has not been completely disarmed” throughout the enclave, a senior Israeli official told Agence France-Presse.
“They also agreed that the first step toward the demilitarization of Gaza would be to ask Hamas to hand over its weapons so that they can be rendered inoperable under the supervision of a U.S. general,” the Israeli official added.
Mr. Kushner was accompanied by members of Donald Trump’s “Peace Council,” including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.
According to a Council official, who did not confirm the involvement of an American general, “every weapon collected will be completely rendered inoperable.”
Pressure to Deploy a Stabilization Force
The Trump administration has already appointed U.S. General Jasper Jeffers as head of the International Stabilization Force (ISF), which, according to the U.S. President’s plan—approved by the UN—will be deployed in the Gaza Strip.
As publicly presented by the U.S. President’s “Peace Council” in July, the roadmap provided that the disarmament of Hamas would be accompanied by a gradual withdrawal of Israeli army units from the sectors of the enclave they occupy, and that the process would bebe overseen by the so-called National Committee for the Governance of Gaza (NCGG), a body of Palestinian technocrats that would supposedly take charge of managing day-to-day affairs in the region for a transitional period.
Rejecting the text, Mr. Netanyahu demanded the “genuine” disarmament of Hamas, which launched an unprecedented incursion into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, sparking the war in the Gaza Strip.
The movement, which has been in power in the enclave since 2007, announced in July that it was dissolving its government and was prepared to transfer its responsibilities to the UNRWA.
Jared Kushner insisted on Sunday that Hamas cannot play any future role in the governance of Gaza, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The Palestinian movement, for its part, urged that pressure be brought to bear on the Israeli government and personally on its leader, Prime Minister Netanyahu, to stop obstructing the implementation of the road map, an official told AFP. In a statement, Hamas also demanded a clear “timeline for its implementation.”
For years, the U.S. has rejected any contact with Hamas, which it designates as a “terrorist” organization.
Hamas and Israel accuse each other daily of violating the ceasefire in the Palestinian enclave, which suffered immense destruction during the two years of war and whose population continues to need humanitarian aid.
According to the Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, whose figures are deemed reliable by the UN, at least 1,265 Palestinians have been killed since the fragile ceasefire took effect on October 10, 2025.
During the same period, according to official data, the Israeli armed forces have suffered six casualties in Gaza—five soldiers and one civilian contractor.
Source: KYPE
